Cast Member: Wang Baoqiang

This is a lustrous production that flatters to deceive, aiming for the intellect, but eventually preferring to show empty spectacle and supposed depth.

A personal story told on a grand scale ‘Assembly’ is as good as war flicks get, finding a near perfect balance between a personal journey and large scale combat.

Stories of mismatched characters rely on the relationship between the two and ‘Detective Chinatown’ has a pair who play off each other’s quirks remarkably well.

‘Fairy Tale Killer’ tries so hard to be an intelligent thriller that it forgets to be thrilling or exciting.

While the narrative and tone get a little muddled and the pace dips here and there, ‘Fire of Conscience’ is still a good tough-as-nails cop thriller with some brutal action.

‘Iceman’ is more of a lame comedy with a little bit a decent action rather than the fantasy blockbuster if could have been.

What could have been a fun period set actioner is instead a rushed, confusing sequel which, as other reviews have pointed out, seems to have been cobbled together in a rush from unused footage from the first ‘Iceman’.

‘Kung Fu Killer’, despite its B-movie title and the odd moment of cheesiness, comes very close to bringing back the elation one felt when watching golden era Hong Kong action cinema.

It’s definitely still a Chan movie through and through though, and as bizarre as it sounds, it does give you a slapstick yet emotional tour de force with a cutting edge.

‘Lost in Thailand’ is a remarkable debut for writer/director Xu Zheng, especially as his turn as the film straight man is also so impeccable.

The major strength here is E Jingwen who is such an eternally affable figure that you are rooting for her from the first frame until the end.